Chapter 222: Stepping Onto the World Stage

Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Stepping Onto the World Stage

"Sora is actually that strong?"

"All I know is that Rose is going to miscalculate this time."

"Is that so?"

Hearing this, Lysandre not only felt no apprehension, but became even more excited.

Good.

This was exactly what he wanted.

As expected of the man he had recognized.

Such strength—powerful and overwhelming!

"Go to Galar."

Lysandre thought for a moment.

"Go as a news station reporter and give us Kalosians a first-hand live broadcast."

How could Lysandre possibly miss such a perfect opportunity to raise Kalos’s profile?

With only half an hour remaining before the official start of the match, Chairman Rose personally contacted Kabu, who was relaxing in the preparation room and calming his mind.

"How are you preparing?"

"Not bad."

Kabu sat in a lounge chair with his eyes closed, quietly meditating.

"Good. Remember to perform well and show them the spirit of Galar."

Rose’s voice was calm, but the dissatisfaction hidden beneath his words was obvious.

"Tell those outsiders that not just anyone is qualified to challenge our Champion!"

In Rose’s view, Cynthia’s visit was undoubtedly an attempt to target Leon.

Leon was the brand he had personally built.

Absolutely nothing could happen to him!

As for Sora...

Rose honestly didn’t take him seriously.

After all, by the end of this whole affair, it would definitely be Cynthia who stepped onto the field herself and fought Leon.

And then there was Diantha.

Rose had no idea what had gotten into Kalos and Sinnoh.

The two women had actually joined forces to support the same man.

Gossip was simply part of human nature.

Who exactly was Sora?

And why was he able to attract the attention of the two strongest female Champions in the League?

"Don’t disappoint me, Kabu."

After saying that final sentence, Rose ended the call.

Kabu was left alone, quietly waiting for the match to begin.

On the other side, Sora also arrived at the Motostoke Stadium.

After he arrived, several professionals approached him.

They wanted to apply makeup and have him change into the appropriate athletic uniform.

Sora refused.

Normally, he wouldn’t mind following local customs.

But this time was different.

He was here to kick down the Gym.

There was no reason for him to play along with Galar’s little game.

Thus, beneath the displeased and somewhat arrogant gazes of the staff, Sora walked step by step toward the pitch-black tunnel leading into the arena.

There, he met Kabu wearing his sports uniform.

It was their first meeting.

"You must be Sora?"

Kabu was somewhat surprised.

It had been a long time since he had seen a Trainer arrive to challenge him wearing ordinary clothes.

He wanted to say something.

But after seeing Sora’s calm gaze, Kabu closed his mouth.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Sora gave him the respect he deserved.

"I hope this battle will allow me to see the results of Galar’s reforms."

"Of course."

Kabu was concise.

He realized that Sora had indeed come with hostile intentions.

"Catch your eyeballs with the Electroweb!"

"Who’s here? It’s your girl, Iono!"

"Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, hello! It’s time for Iono’s live stream~!"

In Paldea, a fanged little girl with two Magnemite hair accessories perched atop her head was holding her equipment and broadcasting the scenes from inside Motostoke Stadium to her fans.

Because Cynthia and Diantha had both personally entered the fray, what had originally been a regional dispute had evolved into a much larger piece of gossip.

The bloodthirsty spectators were having the time of their lives.

They hadn’t seen anything this exciting in a long time.

"Ahhh, he’s finally here!"

"The legendary man who has managed to get both the Sinnoh and Kalos Champions to personally step into the ring is finally coming out!"

Under Iono’s excited shouting, Paldean viewers all turned their attention toward the screen.

Two figures emerged from the dim tunnel.

The Galarian audience wasn’t particularly familiar with Kabu, but judging by his age alone, he clearly didn’t look like the man at the center of a love triangle between two Champions.

Then Sora stepped out beside him.

The viewers immediately understood.

"Whoa..."

"He’s actually pretty handsome."

"Yeah, he’s got a great presence."

"No wonder Cynthia and Diantha both fell for him. He’s got style."

"..."

Several months had passed since Sora’s journey began in Eindoak Town.

His appearance had changed considerably.

He was more confident now, yet more restrained.

And his looks were nothing to criticize either.

As Sora had fully matured, the youthful quality of his face had faded.

In its place was a deep, composed bearing—a mysterious aura capable of capturing anyone’s attention and holding it there.

"He’s here!"

"Dear viewers of Kalos, Mr. Sora has entered the arena!"

"Next, he will represent the Kalos League in a full 6v6 battle against Kabu, the Gym Leader of Motostoke in the Galar region!"

Malva had flown from Kalos to Galar in only an hour.

Without even taking a minute to rest, she hurriedly contacted the local journalists stationed there.

She was now standing in the passageway outside Motostoke Stadium, extremely close to the battlefield.

Her goal was to provide Kalosian viewers with the clearest possible footage of the battle.

"Many viewers may not be familiar with Mr. Sora’s identity."

"In fact, Mr. Sora is an exceptionally powerful Trainer. His reputation isn’t particularly widespread because he has spent many years living in the wilderness, undergoing extremely rigorous training."

"I was fortunate enough to have sparred with Mr. Sora once."

"To this day, that battle remains one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life, and I gained an enormous amount from it."

Malva deliberately kept her wording vague.

But she had made one thing clear to the people of Kalos:

Sora was no ordinary Trainer.

Nor was he the romantic trophy being fought over by Cynthia and Diantha, as the Internet had claimed.

Sora was a genuine powerhouse.

More importantly, Malva explicitly told everyone:

"He is a registered Trainer of the Kalos League, not the so-called ’secret weapon of Sinnoh’ mentioned in the rumors!"

Malva wasn’t the only journalist who had arrived.

With her came Viola, the famous journalist from Kalos, as well as her older sister, Alexa, the head of one of Lumiose City’s largest publishing houses.

"So many people!"

Viola looked around in amazement.

"Is this what the atmosphere surrounding Pokémon battles in Galar is like?"

"It’s terrifying."

"Indeed, it’s quite impressive."

Alexa had seen arenas like this before.

But even she couldn’t help being amazed as she looked around.

The stands were completely packed.

It was almost like the World Cup stadiums back on Sora’s former world—an endless sea of people, with not a single empty seat.

"Tsk!"

Cynthia was extremely displeased by Malva’s remarks.

She glanced at the journalists still busy working in the distance.

"Where are our Sinnoh reporters? Get someone over here immediately!"

How dare a mere Malva show off in front of her?

"Get Diantha over here!"

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